British sailors, believed to be the primary makers of woollies, would spend their downtime stitching images of their ships onto plain-weave cotton or linen cloth or pieces of duck cloth from their trousers, using Berlin wool. Entirely self-taught, they would first draw the design in ink and then fill it in freehand with the needle and thread. Woollies were an especially useful pastime on a ship because they could be rolled up and stored under a bunk when they weren’t being worked on.
Sewing was a vital skill needed for daily repairs as well as for the sailor’s clothes (until the 1880s there was no standard uniform for seamen, as opposed to officers, and the sailors had to provide and maintain their own) and the men were often adept at cross-stitch, chain stitch and long-stitch, with the latter being favoured because it was fast but it also made the most of the thread, since it involved long stitches on the front and only short stitches on the back. The masts were generally shown using long, floating stitches and sometimes the sails were padded, with the riggings usually being made using thinner cotton or linen threads and, rarely, thinly twisted gold threads. Cheaper dying processes had made colourful silk threads more affordable and some sailors took the time to learn the art of embroidery so they could include complex stitches in the detailing. Some sailors had a knack for composition and colour sense which could make the work visually appealing, while others ended up with a dull or boring scene.
By the time the craft peaked in the mid to late 1800s, the sailors had begun embellishing their portraits with items to hand including bits of bone, metal, wood, carved tortoiseshell, beads, ebony, glass and sequins, further personalising their works. “They were simply crafts to document their journeys,” adds Vandekar. “They were symbols of the pride they felt representing their ships and country.”
The pictures can depict naval warships, merchant vessels or private yachts and although they do follow a certain format, no two are the same. The ships are generally shown broadside, boasting their distinctive features before the wind, with full sails and oversize flags unfurled for legibility. Some sailors were able to catch the swell of the sea or the reflection of the setting sun; in others, the image is more stylised and the sea looks more like a chessboard of white and blue.
Coastal scenes, nautical guideposts such as lighthouses, beacons and buoys, and other ships are sometimes included (multiple ships will increase the value of a piece) and the Union Jack is often displayed. The Union Jack was authorised for use in 1823 to call for a ship’s pilot and was known as a Pilot Jack. A ‘house’ flag signified the owner of the vessel.
Many embroideries are also embellished with flags of important maritime nations or ports as well as royal emblems, heraldic symbols, coats of arms, photographs, flowers and allegoric figures. In some embroideries the ships are framed by elaborately stitched portholes or open stage curtains, suggesting the artist was a merchant sailor. Rising suns, moons with stars, salt crystals for hail, patterned skies, three-dimensional lifeboats and cutouts of animals and people have all been featured. In later woollies the sailor might also incorporate a photograph of himself.
Although the ships are often named, it can still be difficult to accurately identify a vessel as there’s a repetition of names in the merchant service as well as a custom of changing names in the Royal Navy. Flags and pennants can help determine nationality, as well as the name and place of origin, function and type. Other clues might be found in the shape of the hull, the rigging or the number of decks and guns; woollies tend to be uncompromisingly accurate when it comes to depicting the masts, guns, flags and rigging of their vessels. The background of the ship might be less helpful as it was often substituted and because woollies are almost always unsigned it’s often hard to identify the artist.
Writing for The Fabled Thread in May 2024, woollies enthusiast Eppie Thompson noted, ‘The types of stitched woolworks generally fall into three categories: ship portraits, commemorative pieces and love tokens. The first type of woolwork is the ship’s portrait, shown broadside and nestled within vibrant crashing waves, or coming into or out of port with glimpses of land, people and buildings in the background. Ships are pictured in full sale with flags stood proud at full mast.’ Whilst these can be very simple, Eppie says they can also be highly decorative. ‘It’s common to see boats framed with flags, decorative borders, or other details around.’
The less common type of woolworks are commemorative pieces that recorded important and historically significant events including battles, rescues, fleet reviews etc. ‘Often you’ll see these are larger pieces with multiple different vessels,’ says Eppie.
Finally, the third type are the love-tokens. ‘There is some speculation about whether these were generally stitched by sailors, or whether they were created in ports as souvenirs for sailors to take home,’ Eppie notes. ‘These are a particular favourite of mine as I find them deeply moving. They often will have stitched phrases like “My darling please be true, until I return to you”, or “The heart of me is here, where the sea meets the sky”.’
Most woollies are around 40cm x 60cm and, as general rule, the larger the size, the higher the value. Condition is very important; look for intact threads that are not stretched, water stained or moth-eaten and expect to see some signs of colour fading as an indication of age. If a picture is sewn on new linen or thin canvas, or has brightly coloured threads on both the front and the back, it’s been recently produced. Pictures that include more complex stitching are sought after by collectors. The most highly sought after, and therefore the most valuable, are those that are identifiable as a specific vessel.
Although the heyday of the sailors’ woolwork is considered to be the period 1860–1880, they remained a popular creative pastime among sailors as recently as the First World War. Ultimately, the switch from sail to steam, which meant the sailors no longer had to be able to sew to mend the sails, coupled with the increasing affordability of photography, signalled the end for what is appreciated today as a charming folk art.
